The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 652: King Li Ke of Shu

Seeing Li Ke's sincere eyes, Quan Wanji said with a guilty look on his face: "Your Highness, please don't say that. It's all because of me who didn't know the seriousness of the matter and came up with some rash ideas. I was not careful in my work and Wei Zheng caught me, which eventually implicated you."

"I am the one who should say sorry. I am sorry for you."

Speaking of this, thinking that he would become a traitor to the Shu Palace in the future and seek fame and wealth by betraying the Shu King, Quan Wanji's heart trembled, his face ashamed, he knelt down, his eyes instantly red, and he could not suppress his emotions.

Li Ke thought that Quan Wanji was regretting what happened with Yaoyan, so he didn't doubt it. He helped Quan Wanji up with one hand and looked at him with a sad expression, lowering his head, as if he was too ashamed to see him.

Li Ke was originally worried that Quan Wanji would blame him for not pleading for him in Taiji Hall.

But now seeing the other party's ashamed look, he sighed in his heart that Quan Wanji was really loyal to him. Thinking that he once thought of giving up on him, he felt a little guilty.

"Wanji, I know what you mean. You have done nothing wrong to me. I don't blame you for what happened this time. It was because I was inexperienced and was taken advantage of that things turned out like this."

Li Ke said with a hateful expression, "I have investigated all of this recently. Quan Cheng only sent a few people to spread the news that I and Zhe Wei were on a diplomatic mission to the Turks. The strange visions and miracles and those outrageous rumors were fanned by someone behind the scenes."

"Lord Cen took Quan Cheng to meet those brokers, but Quan Cheng didn't recognize any of them. The mastermind behind the scenes they mentioned was just a man who looked like you."

"Humph, this could not be someone else, it must be that old thief Changsun Wuji who took advantage of the situation. He knows Chang'an like the back of his hand and is very familiar with every nook and cranny. He had long been eyeing Quan Cheng, but he did not alarm him. Instead, he sent someone to disguise himself as you and hired some idle lazy people from the two cities to make Yao Yan known to the world. He also encouraged Xiao Yu to report this to my father, so this happened."

At this point, Li Ke felt a sense of defeat and powerlessness, and said dejectedly: "Old ginger is still witty. Changsun Wuji is a treacherous old minister. He deceived Lord Feng back then, and now I have fallen into his hands. If he hadn't been stirring up trouble behind the scenes, I wouldn't have left Yongtong Canal, and Huai Liang wouldn't have gotten into trouble. This old dog owes the Shu Palace a blood debt again."

After explaining the reasons behind a series of recent events, Li Ke took Quan Wanji and Chai Shao to a pavilion where a banquet had already been prepared. After the three of them sat down, Li Ke waved away the servants who were serving them.

Chai Zhewei quickly picked up the wine pot and filled the three people. Li Ke stood up with the cup in his hand and said to the lotus pond in front of him: "This first cup of wine is for my lost brother Huailiang. My real brother has been found, and Huailiang's death has been made public. I hope Huailiang can rest in peace soon."

Quan Wanji and Chai Zhewei also stood up with heavy faces, and followed Li Ke to pour the wine in the cup onto the ground.

Returning to his seat, Li Ke refilled the glass with a smile on his face, and said to Quan Wanji: "Wanji, this glass of wine is for you to welcome you back. Your bad luck has gone, and you have a new look. I hope that we can all have smooth sailing and a bright future in the future."

Both of them smiled and drank the wine.
Seeing that Li Ke's brotherhood towards him was even stronger than before, Quan Wanji felt very upset. He silently said sorry to Li Ke and Chai Shao countless times in his heart, but he did not regret joining Li Yan.

This is an era when families are rampant. Personal bravery and talent are nothing at all. No matter how great the achievements are, how high the official position is, or how much power is, there is no iceberg hidden under the water behind them, and everything is just a cloud.

If human life span is only seventy or eighty years, or at most a hundred years, the life span of a family can easily exceed a hundred years, or even reach thousands of years. The families in the Sui and Tang dynasties had a long-term vision and a broad perspective, and the rise and fall of the family was their lifelong pursuit.

Even though Quan Wanji was close to the King of Shu, when he found out that the Crown Prince was more likely to win the war for the throne, he sided with the Crown Prince without hesitation.

Family interests are above all else; personal feelings and gains and losses must serve the family.

Whether in terms of lifespan or overall strength, a family has an overwhelming advantage over an individual. The Sui and Tang dynasties were also an era of family competition.

Quan Wanji has thought everything through clearly during these days in prison!

"King of Shu, tell me, could Huailiang's death be the work of the Eastern Palace?" Quan Wanji asked with a sinister look on his face.

Li Ke and Chai Zhewei were stunned, shocked all over, and immediately put down their chopsticks.

Chai Zhewei asked nervously, "Wanji, are you saying that someone from the Eastern Palace pretended to be Prince Yin's people and killed Huailiang?"

When Li Ke saw Quan Wanji's meaningful smile, he immediately understood that Quan Wanji was hinting at him to put the blame on the prince. That would not only destroy the prince's image, but also arouse Cheng Yaojin's anger.

"It is indeed the East Palace, but it is the old East Palace, not the current East Palace."

Li Ke shook his head like a rattle and said decisively, "Forget it. The emperor sent Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng to take charge of this matter. Lord Cen was also involved in the whole process. There is really no trace that can implicate the prince." "If you insist on putting the blame on him, it will only make my father hate me more. Besides, this kind of thing is not a joke. This involves the prince and an important frontier general. The emperor must give an explanation to both parties no matter what. This matter is too big. If we make any moves in this regard, Lord Cen will not agree. Without his help, we can't do it. Most likely, it will be like Yao Yan last time, and he will end up shooting himself in the foot."

"Besides, the matter of Crown Prince Yin, no matter how small, will arouse Father's sensitive nerves. We should think of other ways and not jump around on this. If we are not careful, we will fall into the fire pit."

Quan Wanji said quickly: "Your Highness is thoughtful and it was Wanji who was reckless."

"Don't say that. You are also thinking about me." Li Ke waved his hand indifferently.

Quan Wanji thought for a while, and then said, "However, Your Highness, we can not mention this matter, but we can't let go of the 5,000 imperial guards of Zuotunwei that Huailiang has vacated easily, right?"

"Not bad!"

Chai Zhewei, who also understood, agreed, "Yes, Your Highness, you also made contributions in repairing the Yongtong Canal. You worked on the canal with Huailiang day and night for nearly ten days. Later, you also found out that the hole in Huazhou was dug by Prince Yin's men. It has nothing to do with us, right?"

"Yao Yan, although we were somewhat at fault, the prince was stripped of his post and confined to his residence, Wan Ji was also punished accordingly, and he was imprisoned in the Dali Temple, and his official position was demoted from the sixth rank Honglu Temple Secretary to the seventh rank Dianke Office Director, what else do you want?"

"The Zuotun Guard was originally awarded by the Emperor for the prince's bravery in taking great risks to save 30,000 civilians in Suizhou negotiations. Moreover, Huailiang got into trouble during the struggle with the former subordinates of Crown Prince Yin, and the court posthumously conferred him the title of Marquis of Pingyuan. The vacant Zuotun Guard should still be handed over to the prince!"

Seeing that his two subordinates all thought so, Li Ke's originally hesitant thoughts suddenly became firm, and hesitantly asked: "But I don't have a suitable candidate at hand for the time being!"

"How not?"

Cheng Huailiang winked and said, "Your Highness is smart all his life, but confused for a moment. Isn't there a suitable candidate sitting right in front of you?"

"Zhewei holds the post of Guard of Jingzhou Army and General of the Left Guard. He is the eldest son of Duke Huo and the nephew of the Emperor. Isn't he more than qualified to be the Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guards?"

Li Ke was stunned, and followed Quan Wanji's line of sight to see Chai Zhewei, who was feasting on his meal with a confused look on his face. He immediately slapped the table and said with a beaming face, "Not bad, not bad, how could the king forget about Zhewei? Moreover, Zhewei also made contributions during the trip to Suizhou, but he was not rewarded at that time?"

"My father will definitely agree to Zhewei's request for the post of Zuotunwei this time. Even if it doesn't count for Huailiang and me, he will be embarrassed to refuse for the sake of my late aunt Princess Pingyang."

"Besides, my uncle is stationed in Jingzhou, which is only about 200 kilometers away from Chang'an. He can be back in one day by fast horse."

Li Ke immediately ordered excitedly: "Zhewei, it's settled. I will discuss it with Lord Cen, and then we will start to work. You can also ask my uncle to find someone. Together, we must take down Zuotunwei."

"Your Highness, is this possible?"

Chai Zhewei's heart also skipped a beat, and the chicken leg in his hand no longer tasted good. He didn't expect that Cheng Huailiang's departure would bring him such a great benefit. For a moment, he felt that Cheng Huailiang's accident was not all bad, as the King of Shu obviously valued Cheng Huailiang more in the past.

Now there are only Quan Wanji and himself, one civil and one military, left. The King of Shu cherishes them even more. He turned around and looked at Quan Wanji with gratitude. Old Quan is really nice!

"What's wrong with that? We have already agreed that the 5,000 imperial guards of Zuotunwei are of vital importance and must not be lost."

Li Ke looked at his military advisor Quan Wanji with appreciation and patted him on the shoulder: "Hahaha, you are indeed Quan San'er, who is known as Zhuge Liang? You are indeed resourceful. During this period of time, I have been locked up in the mansion and I am worried about what to do. With so many consecutive losses, I am a little discouraged."

"Now that Wanji has returned to my side, I am more confident. If Zhewei can take down Zuotunwei, my strength will be restored to its original state."

Quan Wanji felt secretly ashamed, thinking that what Li Ke had always dreamed of was something that the prince could easily discard. The difference was obvious. After having both sides' perspectives, Quan Wanji also compared the two princes in his mind.

Quan Wanji, who came up with a good idea, was not so excited, but Li Ke and Chai Zhewei began to discuss how to implement it. The atmosphere in the palace also changed from its previous gloomy state, as if the haze that shrouded the palace had dissipated, and it became clear and sunny again!

(End of this chapter)